Velocipede



VELOGIPEDE Original Filed Dec. 3.1 1520 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESSES INVENTOI? L i I mam/us J. HUDRY VE'LOCIPEDE Original Filed Dec. 3, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l/VVE/VTOR Jam J-Lwd'ry A TTORNE Y8 Patented Dec, 30, 1924.

' UNITED I STAT-ES- 1,521,540 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HUDRY. OF A'NCON, CANAL ZONE, PANAMA.

vELooIrEmr.

Original application filed December 3, 1820, Serial No. 428,046. Divided and this application filed July 27, 1922; Serial No. 577,868.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN HUnnY, a citizen of the United States of America,'temporarily residing in Ancon, Canal Zone, Panama, have invented a new and Improved Velocipede, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to a velocipede adapted to be converted from one type of vehicle into another and embodying features relating to the adjustment and adaptation of the frame, to a particular arrangement of the wheels and drive, as well as features involving the foldingor the knockdown character of the vehicle, the invention being in the same general line as previous structures patented by me, as follows: Number 1,218,943, granted March 13, 1917; N umber 1,274,045, granted July 30, 1918 5 and Number 1,326,148, granted December 23,1919. The present application is a division of an application December 3, 1920, Serial No. 428,046, resulting in Patent No. 1,434,701.

My present invention is more particularly intended for embodiment in a velocipede involving a chainand sprocket drive and in which provision is made for adapting the chain and sprocket drive either to a single rear wheel in a plane approximately at the medial line of the velocipede or to a pair of rear wheels disposed at opposite sides of the medial line.

The general object of the present invention is to provide ball bearings in the frame parts of the machine for an axle adapted to receive ordinary non-ball bearing wheels usually employed in the construction of childrens velocipedes, whereby to give the wheels ball bearing support without the necessity of employing special makes of wheels having ball bearings in the hubs thereof. The present invention has especially in view bearings of a character to be coordinated in a knockdown velocipede having a chain and sprocket drive.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of practical examples of the invention in its different arrangements.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a velocipede embodying my improved bearings in connection with a sprocket and chain drive coordinated in this instance with a pair of rear wheels between the members of the rear fork;

Figure 2 is a rear view of the rear fork with a pair of wheels;

: Figure 3 is a side elevation of frame parts including the backbone, rear fork integral therewith, and a hanger to be hereinafter referred to;

Figure 4 is a transverse section on the line 44, Figure 3, the view showing a pair of wheels disposed outside of the rear fork;

Figure 5 is a detail in cross section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, the hanger being slightly modified over that shown in Fig, ure 1;

Figure 6 is a vertical section showing a modification of the bearing in which the cup is stamped up integrally with the frame member.

In the illustrated example of my invention a backbone designated generally by the numeral 10 is provided, said backbone having a drop 11 therein as in a girls velocipede. In the form shown a tubular piece 12 bridges the drop 11, the ends having cut-outs so that the upper portion of said bar at the ends presents concavo-convex terminals to conform to the transverse rounded form of the backbone and to the bends at the juncture of the drop 11 and the straight portions of the backbone. The ends 13 may be suitably held by removable fastening means such as screws 14. The bridge-piece 12, or equivalent bridge-piece, when in place over the drop 11 and secured at its ends, not only lends to the backbone the appearance of that of a boys velocipede but lends strength to the backbone to withstand the rough usage to which a velocipede may be expected to be subjected by boys.

In making provision for the chain and sprocket drive, a drive sprocket 40 is provided and a chain runs over said drive sprocket and over the driven sprocket 34. The drive sprocket 40 is mounted on an axle 48 having the cranks 49 provided with pedals 50. Said axle 48 turns in a forked hanger 42 here shown as consisting of separate side straps secured by screws or bolts 42 to the depending parallel ends 42 of a strap 42 looped about the drop 11 centrally of the latter and secured thereto by a transverse bolt 42. Longitudinal girts 43 are secured at their ends to the hanger 42 by suitable fasteners 46 and the rear ends of said girts I are secured by suitable fasteners 47 to the I members of the rear fork 25.

in the converted bicycle form of the'invention with the one wheel at the rear, I make provision for mounting the turnable ele-; me'nts-m ball bearingsnotwithstanding these elements in themselves are of a non-ball bearing type including the runningwheels and the sprocket wheels. The objectis car'- ried out; by embodying ball bearing "elementsin the frame parts such asthe forks and hangersu 'I provide fixed cup bearing'elements 52 rigid with the different rear forks and-hangers and suitably made fast therein by brazing; or otherwise, thecups constituting one element-inthe ball race, the coacting element consistingof an internally threaded retainer ring 53 applied to the axle, the fixed bearing element 52 presentingazcentral opening; 54 through which the axle 32 passes freely; The

form. of the said bearing elements-52, 53is shown clearly in Figured. The balls 54? and the retaining ring 53thus are free to turn with the turning of V the axle and" rela- I tively to the fixed bearing element 52 of the frame. Thus,rwith the running wheels and sprockets fast on the'axle and turning therewith, effective ball bearingsare provided 7 Without. employing special; wheels embody ing-ball bearings therein, the ordinary childs bicycle, or tricycle wheel being thusmade available andat thesame time ball bearings are providedfor the axles'mounting the respective wheels. Substantially the same bearing elements are presentv in Figures 1 and-2:and;in Figures 3 to Tiheretaiirring rings 58 ofthe bearings may be provided as shown in Figure 3 with wrenchholes or recesses 55. e

In Figurefi the frame-member 25 has-the ri 'id bear-in element 52- stamoe'd uinte c a: l

gral'ly from the frame membera I" would sta-te inconclusion-that wh-ilethe illustrated examples constitute practicaliembodlments of my invention, '1 do not'limit,

myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since, manifestly, the same can be considerably, varied without file/p211 tur fromthe spirlt-of the-invention as dev fined in the appended claim- 7 -Hav1ng thus descr bedmy invention, I claim: -c v r In a'velooipede, a frame-including a front fork-having an-axletherein, a'rear forkha ing an axle therein, and as-upport fora-drive shaft, together with ballbearin-g-sin sa-id' rear fork and saidsupport for the rear axle and the shaft respectively, said bearings-1 comprising cups separates from theframebut rigidwith the rear fork and with said sup-port respectively andpresenting'openings through whichthe axle and-shaft respectively extend,"ball retainer rings on the axle and the shaft to turn therewith, said retainer} rings forming with said =cups ball 'racesiancl' balls insaid races; 1 V r I JOHN fHUD'RY 

